United Airlines agreed to allow an alcoholic Buddhist pilot back into the cockpit after a substance abuse program that doesn’t involve Christianity nearly two and a half years after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission backed the pilot, and pay him $305,000. The agency argued that the airline violated the pilot’s religious liberty by insisting he attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, contending he should be permitted to substitute a Buddhist alternative.
The United captain started in February 1985, months before the airline’s pilots went on strike. In 2018 he entered an alcohol treatment facility and lost his pilot’s license.
There’s a process to regain his license. This includes completing a substance abuse treatment program geared towards pilots. At United Airlines that includes attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and completing the first five steps of the 12-step program. However those steps include 2 references to a Christian God and acknowledgement that a “greater power exists.”
It’s important for pilots to have a ‘way back’ from alcohol treatment, or else there’s a strong incentive to hide alcohol dependency which isn’t what you want in the cockpit. As it is there’s tremendous shame and professional consequences. It’s a tough position, because you don’t want pilots flying without regard to alcohol rules and the question is the best way to get there.
According to United,
Safety is our top priority, and we have the highest confidence in the HIMS program, considered the gold standard within our industry for the monitoring of substance abuse.
Of course the issue here is that United is agreeing to deviate from its ‘gold standard’ program, which works for most of its pilots.
Those of us in a religious minority often find ourselves… in a religious minority. If returning to the cockpit were important enough, weighing competing values, the pilot might have sat silently while references to Christianity are offered. However I’m not sure that would be consistent with the airline’s current politics. It’s not consistent with an administrative agency’s view of the law. And United likely saw greater risk in continuing to defend against the suit.
Another reason not to fly United. Next they will be hiring kamikaze pilots …
United Airlines also requires a sober first officer to be on the flight deck on all flights to improve flight safety. In addition, the FAA requires verification of eligibility for a medical certificate. Therefore, a United Airlines pilot with a DUI conviction on their driving record over the last ten years can be a problem receiving a medical certificate.
Religion has no place in the work place. Refusing to credit any employee due to a requirement to attend a program that requires a belief counter to their faith should not be allowed. Particularly when alternatives exists. Last I checked, UA was not a religious based airline.
Had Alcoholics Anonymous required all participants to acknowledge Allah or some other deity, this concern would have been brought to light years earlier.
Sending someone who doesn’t follow the Bible to an AA meeting, where many of the steps refer to God or a higher power, is counterintuitive. Nobody could recover from alcoholism while, at the same time, being bombarded with group think that contradicts there most basic beliefs. They need a group of peers and a path that agrees with the spiritual beliefs.
The insanity of this whole thing… the cry of “I’m offended” is the current excuse for many who have committed some infraction and must complete a course to redemption. This country was founded in the belief of a divine entity. In order to make his point, this pilot “screams religious intolerance” (my words) because of a clause in the AA’s treatment program. I dare say that many people will attend a service of another faith and are not offended by the words “In Christ’s name” or references to “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, etc. as a respect for that belief. If the pilot was smart, he would have completed the program and been thankful that his certificate was reinstated. On a side note, being a flight instructor for a major airline, we hold a “pilot certificate” not a “pilot license”. There is a big difference.
Maybe this is the drunk United pilot they are talking about?
Alcoholics Anonymous doesn’t even work. It doesn’t cure anyone of their alcoholism, just tries to trick them into absolving themselves of responsibility then uses the excuse that they have a lifelong “illness” they have to cope with. The truth is a good psychiatrist can find the root cause of your alcoholism and cure it. Religion is total bullshit and should be prosecuted for the suffering and lies it’s promoted on alcoholics when a cure is readily available.
Source, I was an alcoholic and my desire drinking is now completely gone. It didn’t take a pill or believing in a god, it took self-actualization and self-discipline.
Alcoholism is not a “disease”- it is a choice.
There are many pilots who have returned to the cockpit after dealing with Alcoholism over the years. Just like there have been many who have returned following Heart issues or Cancer treatment.The ability for them to get help is crucial obviously and as you said, take that away and their avenue for recovery is greatly diminished. They will have to hide it and deal with it on their own. There is no one size treatment that fits everyone anymore than there is only one religion that is right. Amazing this pilot was hindered in seeking the treatment that is best for him. This is what lawyers are for, he deserves to win.
LOL – America is so F##ked. Good luck with your future. You’re already in a cold civil war – who’s gonna back down first?
My goodness, Marcus Sherman is a bitter little man.
What a great example of how screwed up American life is. “Whoever yells the loudest prevails.” Not a terrific way to handle life’s challenges. And it’s getting exponentially worse every year.
I’m confused by the first sentence: “United Airlines agreed to allow an alcoholic Buddhist pilot back into the cockpit after a substance abuse program that doesn’t involve Christianity nearly two and a half years after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission backed the pilot, and pay him $305,000. ”
Did he complete a non-AA treatment program? If so, I’m fine with it. On the other hand, if the EEOC is ordering UA to allow an untreated alcoholic to fly, one should be able to sue the EEOC if the pilot later has an accident.
“If returning to the cockpit were important enough, weighing competing values, he might consider sitting silently while references to Christian (sic) are offered.”
Or if the job was important enough, converting would also be a reasonable choice.
@john, what if a Christian was told he had to convert to Islam to keep his job? No difference. This is America, we were founded on the principle that forcing someone’s religious views on others is wrong.
Nuts they had to pay him$305,000 and it was probably fed tax-free if personal injury?? It is a wonder he wants to go back to work?
The premise of this is completely false. AA, some founded by Christians, explicitly endorses no religion. Further the 12 steps refer to a higher power, but leaves this to the alcoholic determine what this is. Please refer to the 12 steps and 12 traditions of you don’t believe me. UA got hosed on this ruling.
I don’t believe being a recovering alcoholic precludes you from having a profession provided you are sober during the times you are expected to do your job. It is incumbent on the airlines to ensure their flight crew is flight ready
It’s the right move because no one should be forced to go against their religious beliefs especially when reasonable alternatives exist. Unfortunately, the EEOC only took interest because the man is a Buddhist. If you are Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Gay, transgendered, or Black, governmental institutions will protect your rights to religious freedom. If you are White, Straight, or Christian, the EEOC and other governmental institutions don’t even acknowledge you.
Where was the EEOC when Christians were fired for not taking a risky vaccine that doesn’t even work to prevent Covid because it was against their religious beliefs of bodily autonomy and not taking bad substances? Where was the EEOC when Christians were bankrupted for not baking a cake against their religious conscience? Where was the EEOC when a Jewish university was forced to allow a gay propaganda student group against the religious foundations of the organization? Silence. We have companies forced to accommodate for everyone except christians.
There is nothing in the Bible that supports not getting vaccinated. Only conspiracy theories with no supporting evidence passed on by some so called Christian extremists. I say so called because vulnerable people were influenced by lies to not get vaccinated and ultimately died from Covid because they were unvaccinated. Anti vax misinformation killed a lot of people…..not very Christian now is it? Most good caring Christians whole heartedly supported getting vaccinated because it saved lives
HIMS is not a United Airlines program. It is the program used by the FAA to provide a pathway back to having a medical after a DUI or other reported issue with substance abuse. A non religious alternative to AA is available to people in HIMS normally, so I’m not sure why United was forcing one of their pilots to specifically use AA. That was the crux of his case and the reason United settled.
JohnW, Agreed. My comment was sarcasm.
@JCW
A body being a temple of God and not putting or taking anything that would corrupt it is discussed in the New Testament multiple times. Not wanting to consume or inject something that is unnatural and has risks of complications is line with this.
@JohnW
True. In addition to not forcing religious views on others, America was founded on the freedom to exercise your own religious beliefs and practice them. Freedom is what’s missing.
AA mentions no where about a Christian God, please get your facts correct if your going to write articles about any subject. I am a airline Captain retired who went through the recovery process approved and with the blessing of the FAA called the HIMMs Program. It is suggested that one go to AA and go through the 12 step Program because this is what has worked for most pilots to stay in recovery. It is suggested but not required. The reference to a Christian God is incorrect. In AA it is referred to as a Higher Power. Which could be anything that works for you. So your statements are not correct. The Budda could be your higher power or Mount Evans does not matter. My airline that I flew for had one pilot who did ,not go to AA he choose his church and members of his church family to help him stay sober. Now, the United Airlines HIMMS Program could very well require that all United Airlines Pilots must attend AA. My airline told us that AA was highly suggested as a tool to stay sober.
These programs are highly successful in getting pilots to stay sober and there is very strict monitoring by the company and the union of pilots from anywhere to 3 to 5 years. Some pilots based on age or addiction history may end up on life time monitoring.
All of this is done in the name of safety and saving ones career as an Airline Pilot and have a very high success rate. It saved my life and I am forever grateful to my major airline for the support they gave me in becoming sober and letting me have my wings back.
AA is not a religious program, nor does it reference a specific religion or specific religions’s God. The literature says God *as you understand him*. This leaves it open to anyone to interpret that as they wish, to include Buddha. Do some research next time.
I bet he’s not offended by the words “In God We Trust” on US currency.
@ John Dogas…Your interpretation of a Bible passage also applies to a Big Mac and Fries. The whole point of his situation was his freedom to pursue treatment as he saw fit. Obviously there is not one “right” religion and other wrong one’s. From the responses here it appears AA doesn’t push one. Good on them for that, but this pilot was prevented from exercising his freedom to choose a treatment that he felt worked for him, not avoid treatment. That’s why he deserved to win. Still remains though, that the people pushing unfounded anti vax lies influenced some people to not get vaxxed and some of those people died from Covid because of it.
If anyone is still following this I should clarify something here since I’ve been a bit of a blowhard. I’m not in anyway anti Christian, nor discount the teachings of Jesus. I do have an issue with how the religious right has hijacked his message. Jesus was the polar opposite of what the MAGA hats preach. He wasn’t pro gun or divide people into groups to hate or like .
The MAGA preachers are preaching hate and in some cases violence against fellow Americans, I don’t see much difference between them and Islamist extremists in the Middle East.
John W. – you are full of shit.
Not sure what you are referring to David, but I’m simply pointing out the fact that the MAGA Christians seem to primarily focus on demonizing people they don’t agree with…for instance anyone who doesn’t appreciate Trumps brand of hatred, name calling and lies. Trumpism has turned a minority of Americans on the majority and even promoted civil war. In case you are unaware, civil war means killing fellow Americans. Fortunately, as this last election has proved, even people that are die hard Republicans have had enough.